Alyssa Busch won a gold medal in the Junior Silver Ladies freeskate and Lexie Murgatroyd, Natasha Grafton and Saiya Gachter added top finishes to highlight the efforts of the Port McNeill Figure Skating Club in the final Lynn Hetherington Memorial Figure Skating Competition in Nanaimo.
Murgatroyd placed first in the pre-preliminary ladies competition, while Grafton and Gachter each claimed gold in their respective performance groups.
The competition, held Jan. 27-29, was the club’s final performance in preparation for its bi-annual figure skating carnival, scheduled for Feb. 24-25 at Chilton Regional Arena in Port McNeill.
The carnival theme this year is Under the Big Top. Shows are scheduled for 7 p.m. Friday, Feb. 24 and 1 p.m. and 7 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 25. Tickets are $10 per show and are available in advance at The Flower Shoppe in Port McNeill.
Two weeks after carnival, the skaters return to competition in the 36th annual Barbara Rasmussen Memorial in Courtenay. The Barbara Rasmussen Memorial, hosted a year ago by the Port McNeill Figure Skating Club, is in its final year as Vancouver Island’s governing body for figure skating is restructuring its competition schedule. The Lynn Hetherington Memorial will also be replaced on the schedule.
PMFSC coach Elizabeth Kines said the final Barbara Rasmussen competition will feature a reception and dessert party Saturday, Mar. 10 at the Crown Isle Resort, and that all of Rasmussen’s former North Island students and former executives of North Island figure skating clubs are invited to attend. Among the attendees expected are Rasmussen’s parents, who will travel from Winnipeg for the event.
Lynn Hetherington Memorial Figure Skating Competition at Nanaimo:
Port McNeill Figure Skating Club results
Performance Group 5: 2. Brenna Jardine.
Performance Group 9: 1. Natasha Grafton.
Performance Group 10: 1. Saiya Gachter; 2. Rebecca Griffith.
Pre-preliminary ladies — Group 4: 1. Lexie Murgatroyd; 2. Tyanna Laming.
Preliminary ladies — Group 2: 4. Karlie Shambrook. Group 3: 2. Darian Murgatroyd; 9. Kierra Shambrook.
Junior bronze ladies (13-over): 4. Sidney Hamilton; 5. Whitney Murgatroyd; 14. Kaitlyn Lasota; 15. Carley Bobb.
Junior silver ladies: 1. Alyssa Busch.